Everything We Know About Salt May Not Be True

We have all long agreed with the definitions of "white death" in relation to salt and sugar. According to WHO, an average man should consume 10 grams of salt a day, while a woman should consume 8.5 grams.

Excessive salt consumption is known to increase the pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. But new research is questioning this conclusion, writes the New York Times.

Jens Marc Titze, a nephrologist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research in Erlangen, Germany, conducted 2 studies that made us think about how true the idea of ​​salt was.

It turns out that salt does not cause thirst in humans, but promotes appetite.

However, not all Titza colleagues accepted Titza's results positively. It was difficult for them to realize that the salt claims, which are more than 200 years old, now have to be questioned.

Of course, not only physicians know that table salt is sodium chloride, without which vital processes are impossible: the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction. Cooking salt, in this case, serves as an electrolyte consisting of negatively charged chloride ions and positively charged sodium ions. Sodium ions are especially necessary for the normal functioning of the kidneys, intestines, and liver. Lack of salt is fraught with nervous disorders, digestive disorders, problems with the cardiovascular system. Completely without salt, our body can last a maximum of 10 days.

Deficiency of such a microelement as table salt leads to sleepiness and muscle weakness, and in severe cases leads to a disturbance of movement coordination. Salt, or rather chlorine ions, contributes to the production of the stomach acids. Salt is almost the only source of chlorine for the human body. Lack of salt is replenished from reserves located in the muscular and bone tissues, which can lead to their destruction - osteoporosis.

All major disputes of scientists about salt are divided into 2 parts. Some argue that salt is a white death, while others say that there is no scientific evidence of it. Even in those studies that prove that salt is harmful, there's a lot of contradictory information.

In 1988, a comprehensive test was conducted on the effect of salt intake on blood pressure. The study (using data from 56 different ethnic groups, in particular, the Amazon primitive peoples) compared the results of pure salt consumption as condiments and body salt intake with natural products. A study published in the reputable British Medical Journal concluded the following.

Since the Indians consumed a small amount of salt and rarely suffered from hypertension, as well as less often died of cardiovascular disease, the researchers concluded that the cause lies in small doses of salt.

Scientists have become a victim of their own programming and obsession: they studied the effect of salt, so it's all about it. In this case, they have forgotten that the natives practically do not consume not only salt but also sugar and fat. In addition, they are quite active and move a lot.

Later studies on the subject revealed the following picture: it is true that the excessive salt causes an increase in blood pressure but to a very small extent. Although it was recommended to reduce the consumption of table salt per day from 9-12 to 5-6 grams, and a longer-lasting effect will have a reduction in salt consumption to 3 grams per day.

A review of 269 scientific publications on the relationship between salt intake and hypertension and brain hemorrhage showed that excessive salt intake leads to a risk of cardiovascular disease. This was stated in 54% of the studies, while the remaining ones either categorically denied this conclusion or the researchers did not get an unequivocal result. Therefore, it was a great joy of Jens Titz and his longtime colleague Friedrich Luftha when they learned about their participation in the project Mars-500, organized by the German Center for Air and Space Flights. Ten volunteers agreed to spend 500 days simulating a flight to Mars, a stay on the Red Planet and a return. If for the organizers of the project the main thing was the desire to study the mental state of people going into space, Titz and Lufth grabbed a unique chance to bring to mind their research on the effects of salt on the body.

For 28 days, they fed their test subjects with food seasoned with a constant amount of salt. Then, for the same period of time, they reduced the amount of salt from 12 to 9 grams and finally, in the final stage, brought it to 6 grams. Twice a day, participants were measured and tests were collected.

At first, everything followed the expected scenario. The more salt the participants received, the more urine they excreted. From a long time ago, it was believed that salt causes thirst. However, a closer look at the researchers revealed something completely unbelievable: the subjects hardly drank any water, but even so, they excreted more urine. Scientists have suggested: the intake of salt into the body, the kidneys produce additional urea, which requires some energy costs, which in turn causes hunger.

They were able to reproduce a similar result on laboratory mice. Despite the constant mass of sodium chloride used in the experiment, the salt concentration in the urine has changed. This shows that the reduction of salt in the body depends on a number of factors, which no one had previously thought about.

Initially, clinicians did not want to hear about the results of new studies. But the undeniable facts proving the purity of the experiment outweighed the stubbornness of the scientists.

Finally, scientists have proved that salt is an essential part of the human diet. It is important to know the truth and think in a new way. So, we should take salt with our diet according to the recommended dose. Besides it would be great if it is mineral-rich and natural salt. Serendipity House cares for your health, that’s why it brings you theall-natural Himalayan Salt.